Wake the Sun
by Verboten Byacolate
Summary: KidxChrona. Semi-AU. Chrona began to live the night that Death arrived to take her life. A tale of irony, bubble baths, and broken dishes.
1. every dawn gets its day

**A/N**: I've had this in my mind for a while now, and I decided to feed the potential perversion of others (as well as my own) by writing it out. This is a semi-AU fic; Kid is still a Shinigami, and Medusa is a witch, but no magic black blood is bestowed upon Chrona. Also, there is a distinct age difference between the two. Seeing as Kid has the "body of a god," it would make sense that he was a bit slow to age, so he's around the age that he is in the manga, whereas Chrona is a young girl. The other distinct difference is that Kid's job is more like that of a traditional Shinigami-- you know, taking souls when their time has come, grim reaper-style. That being said, please enjoy. Review if you have the time.  
**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat.

* * *

Chrona never knew how much time would pass after the door closed before it would open again. She only knew that the first thing she would see would be her mother's expectant, blank eyes probing her, and the last before getting shut away again would be a disappointed frown. Medusa said little to her, but Chrona always knew what she was thinking.

_Worthless_.

Chrona sniffed, the sound bouncing off of each wall as she curled her small body tighter for warmth. She didn't want to be worthless. She wanted to prove that she could do something; anything. She wanted to do as her mother wished so that maybe she wouldn't be shut away again. Most of all, she wanted light. The tiny room she'd been put away in for as long as she could remember was black, filled with nothing but the sounds she made. As hours crawled by, she played with her hair, slept against the hard wall, made tiny sounds in the back of her throat just to hear them echo around her like a quiet symphony.

She knew that eventually the door would creak open and the bright light of the hall outside would blind her. When she would adjust, the first thing to greet her would be that look, and she would trudge wordlessly into the white hall where she would find yet another fated meeting with Chibi-chan. She would fail to do as Medusa requested, and then she would be guided back to her room to await the repeating cycle. The young girl didn't know how to expect anything else. She didn't know what would happen if she killed Chibi-chan, and she wasn't sure if it would be good... she didn't even know if it would be better than this.

Chrona didn't know how to deal with killing things. Medusa made it out to be normal, casual. But something inside Chrona every time she was faced with the aspect protested. It didn't feel right. She wanted nothing more than to be of use to the only soul she knew, but something deep within the girl held her back. Each time she would be sent back into her room to play with the noises once more.

Medusa called her unproductive, but Chrona wondered what prodictivity would come of killing Chibi-chan.

The girl roused herself for the seventh time since her mother had last closed her into darkness. She heard the doorknob rattle and pushed herself up, staring toward what she believed was the door's general direction. She didn't understand why Medusa was struggling to open the door, since she had the key and would not have come without it. Chrona leaned forward, curiosity piqued, and then jumped back as the raucous echo of something slamming against the metal doorknob reached her sensitive ears. If this was an angry Medusa, Chrona was more than terrified-- too terrified to move.

Then, after the fourth harsh slam, the noises stopped. The door was pushed from the outside in, and a thick line of light filled Chrona's eyes, rendering her temporarily blind. She blinked away the red spots flooding her vision and slowly, a silhouette greeted her from the outside.

One that she knew immediately was _not_ that of her mother.

"Damn. Shinigami-sama was right. What a shame... Kid hates killing small fry."

* * *

"There was no need to get so carried away, Patty."

Death the Kid reached into his pocket and produced a hankerchief. He handed it to the bloody woman before him. "She may have been a difficult witch to defeat, but really... name-calling? Immaturaty wins not the battle."

"Is that why we lost?" Patty asked, wiping her cheek. Of course, the blood only smudged. Kid sighed.

"No. We lost because I underestimated the opponent and sent Liz to find our second target."

"Onee-san will get the job done," Patty grinned, placing the hankerchief on her head. The shinigami nodded and glanced upward. Their main target, Witch Medusa, had escaped through the roof mid-battle, leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling. Her blood dotted the room, and Kid surmised that she would not get far with the wounds they had given her. Never the less, she was gone, and they could not leave Liz in persuit of a possibly unstoppable opponent. People in general didn't like to give up life. Witches avoided death at all costs. Kid supposed pride was a bit of an issue there. In his opinion, witches were too spoiled, and tended to think that they should have more of a say in their time to go than humans. However, this viewpoint was terribly unfounded. All souls were the same to a shinigami, despite strength or power. Medusa had skillfully avoided the end. For now. But the night was not yet over.

"Come. Let's find Liz."

"'Kaaay!"

* * *

Liz sighed, squatting down a couple feet in front of the girl. She watched her curl up against the wall as if trying to dissolve into it to escape her gaze. The eldest Thompson attempted a reassuring smile. "Hey, little girl, don't be afraid. It won't be so bad. Kid does it clean and quick, like this." She snapped her fingers. The girl whimpered. "Ah, no... what I mean is... he's not bad or anything... and it's just your time, so, what happens happens, you know? Geez, don't cry..."

Chrona huddled as far away from the woman as possible. She didn't know what was scarier-- that she knew her mother wouldn't come for her when she was in danger, or how this person had even been able to avoid Medusa's wrath in the first place. Either way, Chrona didn't know how to handle this situation. So she cried.

Liz raked a hand through her hair and heaved another sigh. She wasn't good at this whole convince-little-kids-that-they-were-about-to-die-and-it-wasn't-so-bad thing. She'd never died, so she wasn't sure how it felt, and it sucked because kids were innocent and hadn't even been able to live their lives. She rarely felt bad for taking adults from this world, but she understood Kid's distaste about removing childrens' souls. And this poor creature...

"Oi, Liz." The demon pistol looked over her shoulder. Kid and Patty's shapes were outlined at the doorway. "You found the second one."

"Yeah." She scratched at the back of her neck. "Are you any better at this gig than I am? I think I just scared her more."

She stood and Kid approached, taking her place. He kneeled before the young, frightened child and captured her teary gaze.

"Hello. What's your name?"

* * *

Chrona stared. The lady had left and someone newer... scarier had replaced her. He wore all black, from head to toe. Golden eyes behind black bangs seemed to stare directly into her soul, making her uncomfortable. It was as though in seconds he knew everything about her, looking her up and down with those piercing eyes, and then they drew back to hers, pulling her in. She couldn't stop staring. He asked her a question and it took a moment before her mind could wrap around it. Even then, her response was little more than automatic.

"C... Chrona."

The scary man nodded and gave her a tiny smile.

"Chrona. Hello, Chrona-san." His gaze didn't waver. "I'm Death the Kid, a shinigami. Do you know why I'm here?"

Chrona's lips parted. This was the man the lady mentioned. He was the one that wanted to kill her. But why? What had she done? Medusa hadn't even killed her, and she was the only one Chrona had ever made contact with. This man must have hated her. He wanted her dead. She keened, her fingers digging into her hair and tugging at the roots.

"Whatever I did, I'm sorry! I don't want to die! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

Kid reached out, touching Chrona's wrist. She gave a yelp, flinching. He pulled her hands out of her hair.

"Chrona-san."

The girl begged. From her lips flowed a never-ending stream of promises, pleas, apologies. Almost never did he take longer than one minute to convince his children targets that the place they went would be a good one. Most he would take in their sleep. The words he spoke comforted him as well. But this girl was different. Was it because she was the daughter of a witch that she clung to life so desperately? Living inside these dark walls, why would she? Maybe, instead of a love for life, it was a crave inside of her. Perhaps. His thoughts had no proof behind them, so he could never be sure.

When her words became a single string of apologies, he stopped her, holding up a hand.

"Heaven isn't something to fear," he said, gazing at her meaningfully. "Better than life. Wouldn't you rather be at peace?"

Chrona hiccupped.

"I know I'm useless... I know I should die... And I might not be of worth... but..." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I don't want to die. I wouldn't know how to deal with it."

_I see_. _So I was right_. Kid stood, turning toward his weapons with immediate resolution. "Liz. Patty." They jumped to attention. "Find a mirror."

* * *

"Father."

"Hiya, Kid-kun. What's up? Mission acccomplished?"

"I'm afraid not," Kid replied. "We'll need to find Medusa's trail again. She's injured, but it's not something that won't heal."

"And the other?"

"A failed attempt as well." Kid kept his eyes on his father. The elder shinigami bounced excitedly.

"My son is only telling a half truth, he is he is," Shinigami-sama sang cheerfully. He leaned forward. "Sooo, what's the story, Kid-kun?"

"Forgive me, Father, but I think you were mistaken. The daughter isn't ready."

"They never are," Shinigami-sama chirped. "So how is she different, hmm?"

"Is a life unlived worth taking?"

The man behind the mirror scratched his head. "I see your point. The child of an evil woman must have had it rough. A life lived in fear; a life without love; it's a life that is a lie. My smart son has caught on." Shinigami nodded happily. "So what's your plan?"

"Before I take her life away, I will give one to her." Kid looked purposefully into his father's eyes. "Please allow her to live with us. When she is older, she can go to Shibusen to learn and make friends and find a weapon. Then, she will have a fighting chance before I take her soul."

"How compassionate of you, my boy," Shinigami-sama said, waving. "I approve. Use your best judgement, Kid-kun. See you!"

His father's image faded and Kid turned, quickly exiting the room. He wished to leave as soon as possible, for any house belonging to a witch tended to raise his hackles. He was overly alert at every door and corner, following the sounds of Chrona's wails and his partners' failed methods of comfort. When he looked through his previous target's doorway, he found Patty immitating what seemed to be a giraffe, and Liz attempting to distract Chrona's nerves with wild hand gestures, describing Patty's silliness. The little girl herself was wide-eyed with a kind of fear that locked attentively on the woman contorting herself before her. It seemed to Kid that it might take a while for this depraved child to become anywhere near accustomed to the Thompsons' antics.

"Liz, Patty. Chrona-san."

All three immediately looked to him, two pairs of anxious eyes, one thoughtless grin.

"Come. We're going home."

* * *

As expected, Chrona was more than a little hesitant. After nearly ten minutes of explanation, Kid began to resort to bribery to get her to follow. She would be living in a mansion. She would have a bed. She would be safe. There would be food morning, noon, and evening, and plenty of places for her to play. He even brought out the symmetry card-- he would cut her bangs so that they rested properly, perfectly over her forehead. Somehow, even the last one fail to persuade her.

"W-why?" She looked up at the three grown-ups with trepidatious eyes. "What d-do I have to do? Aren't you going to kill me? P-please don't kill me... What about my mother? She'll be mad..."

"I'm not going to kill you," Kid said. "I changed my mind. You don't have to be worried about Medusa. I promise you, you will be safe in Death City."

Chrona looked down, picking at the hem of her dress. "But this...." Her voice was low. "This is scary. I don't know how to deal with this."

Once more, Kid kneeled on the floor at Chrona's level, his eyes enticing hers. "I apologize for scaring you. Please forgive me, Chrona-san.

"N-no!" Chrona waved her hands abashedly, shaking her head. "I-I'm sorry... I just... Boys... Girls... Grown-ups... I don't know..."

"I know," Kid said, extending his hand, "that this is surreal for you. It will probably take you awhile to not be so afraid. But I promise that I won't shut you in a dark room alone."

Chrona's eyes widened and before she caught herself and began playing with her fingers, he thought he saw a glimmer of something akin to hope. He pushed his hand farther into her line of view.

"You can take your time. You don't have to feel comfortable immediately. But if you want to be safe, take my hand."

Chrona looked up from her fingers. The whole situation was confusing, and she was having trouble completely grasping it. He was promising her things. This stranger and his odd friends, smiling down at her... they broke down her door, spoke of death and life, and without speaking about it directly, they decided that she would go with them. Chrona was afraid. But more than afraid, she was anxious. And more than that... her heart ached. She had never known anything outside of this dark room or the white hall beyond. She had never known that there were people in the world besides her own mother-- never thought that anyone would ever look at her with any emotion outside of contempt. She had never felt anything but fear, sadness, lonliness. But something else was stirring inside of her. Something she would have never known exsisted. The one who had come to take her life was instead offering one to her. She could see it there-- a life, a dream, a chance, hope, and maybe home-- there in his hand. The same part of her that made her draw back from a potential kill... the part that was stirring at the meer sight of these three... it urged her on once more. It told her quite plainly that this moment would be the one that changed everything-- that this was, truthfully, life or death... it moved her. Chrona wiped her hands on her dress to free them of tears. The girl would willingly put her life in Shinigami-kun's hands.

She reached out.

* * *

To be continued.


	2. every frown gets her way

**A/N**: The first chapter was a bit wangsty, so I thought I should mention this: Wake the Sun is meant to be quite light-hearted. I realize that chapter one really doesn't portray this well, and for that, I apologize. I guess it will be sort of a "slice of life" type thing...? (It should, that's the theme...) In this fic, Chrona will be faced with the dealings of life earlier on that she didn't in the manga. I suppose this is one Chrona fanatic who just wants the poor thing to have a childhood. But it won't end in childhood, so those of you that thought about the "after" part of Chrona's new life (read: "those that want some'n some'n between the two later), fear not; it will come. I'm a hardcore romance addict too.  
... Or I could just act on my terrible vindictive tendancies and end this at four chapters wherein Chrona never grows up. I like that, too. We'll see.  
ALSO, I'd like all readers to keep in mind that Chrona is very young, so she has her personality back then instead of her older, scardier form. (Way back when, she would voice her opinion to Medusa, remember? She wouldn't act out against anyone, but she wasn't afraid to say what she felt. That's the way she is in this fic.)  
**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat.

* * *

"You're entrusting your son with the life of a potential witch?"

"He is always expected to take them," Shinigami-sama answered cheerily. "It's a bit exciting, this turn of events. Besides, he was sent to erradicate a potential demon sword. Maybe her fate will change with my boy. So what brings you here, Spirit-kun, Maka-chan?"

The young girl smiled widely and waved. "Hi, Shinigami-sama!"

"Maka wanted to say hello. We're both a bit lonely. Mama's away for the week."

"Mama is gone," Maka confirmed, nodding vigorously.

Shinigami-sama seemed to smile. "My dear, poor Maka-chan. Here, would you like some candy?"

"Yes please!" she replied with a short giggle, and picked out the small, striped candies from Shinigami-sama's large white hand. Spirit lifted and placed his daughter on a dark black cross with a small picture book. When she was distracted enough to satisfy him, the death scythe turned back to his potential wielder, eyes solemn. "About the demon sword..."

* * *

Chrona wasn't sure how she should deal with this.

Liz had been instructed to take Chrona to the kitchen for something to eat. Chrona wasn't sure why... Medusa had fed her that morning, and she almost never ate two meals a day. Chrona couldn't say she wasn't hungry, but she was much too nervous to eat the things Liz had offered, so the tall lady placed a glass of water in front of her instead. "You won't spill, will you?" she'd asked, and when Chrona shook her head, Liz gestured for her to take the glass and follow. The Thompson sisters-- Liz in the lead with narration, Patty flanking with irrelevant side comments-- took Chrona on a tour of the mansion's east wing, where the residents slept. Liz pointed out the three main floors' basic layouts: she and Patty had been given seperate rooms on the first floor, while Kid's was on the second. This was arranged in the case of an emergency, where if an enemy was to come in from the first floor, Liz and Patty could irradicate him immediately, but if he made his way past them and to the second, Kid could make short work of him. Chrona was informed that she would be sleeping next door to the little shinigami.

Never having been out of Medusa's living quarters, and still stuck in a state of shock from the ride over to the mansion (Kid called it a "board" of some sort, and not only was the simple action of being seated on such a quick moving object - clinging to Death the Kid's right leg for dear life from behind - jarring to the deprived young girl, but then the lad seemed to be overtaken by that luminous yellow circle in the night sky, but then he went into a trembling frenzy, swerving this way and that, reaching up to the grinning thing and calling out "It may be but once a month, but your symmetry is gorgeous!!"), Chrona was marvelling at the granduer of the place, and since she was at a loss to most of the words Liz was saying anyway, she simply tuned the tall woman out.

And now, she was in a sad state of regret.

For a while, she'd thought she could just hold it. The feeling was bound to leave eventually, and there was no way she could possibly act on impulses without making someone upset. So she turned over in hopes of falling back into a broken slumber, where dreams of snakes and flying boards of Death himself jostled her nerves. Alas, it was not to be. Chrona rolled over once more, clenching herself into a ball, pulling the large, warm white blanket tighter around her. Dark eyes refused to shut. She whined to herself and crossed her ankles.

_I... I can't do it anymore!_

Chrona tossed the white comforter aside, slid off the large canopy bed, and skittered across the room to throw open the door.

* * *

"Chrona-san?"

"S-sorry, um..." She drew her eyes to the floor, fiddling nervously with her fingers. Her voice was so low he could barely hear it. "... room..."

Kid blinked. "Room? Your room? Is there something not to your liking? Would you like me to turn on a light for you?"

"N-no, that's..." She looked up tentatively, her cheeks flushed.

_Does... does she want to stay in my room?_ He smiled, nodding and ushering the girl in. _How cute_. "Say no more, I understand perfectly. Would you like the bed or-"

"Thank you!" she squeaked in a relieved fashion, and scampered into Kid's adjoining bathroom. The young shinigami paused, not quite sure what to make of the situation. He snapped back when Chrona shut the bathroom door.

"... Eh?"

* * *

A round pink face peeked out from the bathroom door, cracked open just so. She caught his attention when the fading sound of running water died away. Chrona shyly wiped her dripping hands on her new night gown-- one of Patty's old gray t-shirts that Liz had provided for her. "Ah... um... thank you again," Chrona said, barely above a whisper. He smiled in return, and she slowly eased out of the doorway and into the room.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked. Chrona shook her head vehemently. Kid watched her shuffle toward his door. He rose from the bed. "I'll accompany you."

Trudging through the dim hallway, Chrona was stuck with a realization: this-- being lead back to a dark room chosen for her by a scary grown up-- was just as frightening as being with Medusa. Her feet slowed to a stop, and then refused to work. "It's the same."

Kid turned. Chrona's shaken form was paused approximately a yard behind him.

"Chrona-san?"

She watched him with dark eyes, trembling. Chrona wasn't certain what was happening inside of her, but her heart was pounding painfully against her ribcage. It was then that she realized why this was so nerve wracking. Somewhere subconsciously, she was hoping that this... that _he_ would be different. And now, he was leading her to a room to sit in for whatever period of time that suited his fancy. She would be a prisoner once more. This one just used pretty words; a kind vocabulary that Medusa had never introduced her to. She couldn't forget that the only reason he came to her was to kill her. He could only be doing this to lower her guard... he wanted her dead, after all. Chrona just wished he would get it over with.

"Wh-when?" she asked, fear clawing at her heart. "Why haven't you killed me?"

"I don't want to."

She clenched a fistful of her dress in her hand, the other curled up over her heart. "That doesn't make sense!"

Kid took a slow stepped toward her and crouched down, seating himself in an awkward cross-legged position he clearly was not used to.

"I am a god of death. I take souls assigned to me. That is my job." He stared at her with the quiet intensity she had always recieved from Medusa. The only difference was something behind those eyes. In Medusa's, she could see nothing but darkness. But there was something different about Death's clear gold. It was something she struggled to place. Something that slowly chipped away at the fear in her heart. "You were assigned to me, Chrona-san. Your soul is mine. Technically speaking, of course." He smiled gently at her. "Since your life belongs to me anyway, I am the one who decides when to take it. I've never done this before... but I don't find it to be unlawful or against any rules to let you hold on to it for a while longer."

Looking at him now... truly looking... she found the dark rings encircling his pupils hypnotizing.

"I would like to watch you grow."

The stark contrast of pure white lines against dark black of his hair was striking. It gave Chrona a sense of Kid's reality; one so together could have a head of hair that, though inhuman, was still unmysterious. His hair, silly as it sounded even to her own mind, made him more real.

"I would also like to know what I can do to make you feel more at ease with your surroundings." He set his elbows on his knees and balanced his chin over interlocked fingers. "Is there anything you'd like?"

Chrona had, in mere words, been sated. A shivering mass of nerves had calmed to form a tiny blush. She did, in fact, have a request.

"My door," she mumbled, casting her eyes to the side abashedly. "Can I... leave it open?"

Kid smiled. His fingers ghosted over her forehead, pushing haphazard bangs aside. "Regarding the doors in this household, they may always be open to Chrona-san. Please do with them as you see fit."

Chrona, taken aback for but a moment, nodded her thanks.

* * *

When the midnight hour struck, Chrona was the only one to know. A sound - loud, raucous, and harsh to her ears - chimed slowly from a source she could not locate. The girl was jolted out of slumber once more by its ferocity and she let out a low keen. By the seventh toll, she had jumped out of bed for the second time that night, pillow in hand, and scuttled out her open door on quick little toes. Only a short dash later and she was at Death's door, quickly finding that she was a bit nervous to enter. Chrona clutched the pillow to her chest, tilting from foot to foot, torn with indecision.

The tenth gong rang out, and she touched the large door through the dark. To her surprise, with no sound it swung a small distance from her.

It had been open.

_**Toong**_.

Chrona scratched at her cheek, her fear ebbing away with the second to last chime. By the twelfth, her trepidation had all but vanished. Kid had left his door open for her. She was not brave enough to enter the room in case he would find it clingly and cowardly and come to hate her, but... she didn't want to return to her room either. Now that she had a choice, she could not decide. Chrona held her breath and did her best not to whine. She didn't know how to deal with this.

* * *

Kid woke with the son per usual. He yawned shortly, stretched, and climbed blearily into his shower. After cleansing himself and dressing casually for the day - a black suit with a Shinigami-sama ornament and matching dress pants - he opened his door the rest of the way and stepped out, intent on checking up on his new ward.

... Who was closer than he had expected.

Upon his first step from his bedroom, he found the small child curled up against the wall by his door, sleeping soundly on top of a pillow. Kid, quite surprised, paused and examined the girl. Her brow was unfurrowed for the first time, the worry and fretfullness that was a part of her temporarily banished from her mind. Kid smiled, retreating back into his room and reappearing at Chrona's side. He knelt silently, draping a blanket over her with the smile still in tact.

If Kid was not careful, there was quite a large chance that he would become fond. And he just didn't know how he would deal with that.

* * *

To be continued.


	3. every step to the daylight

**A/N**: To those that mentioned the whole "romance later" thing being odd, no, I haven't decided yet. But if you feel weird or uncomfortable with the thought, I suggest you invest in the _Demon Flowers_ series by Mizuki Hakase. Then we'll see if you think the pairing is weird.  
ALSO, a very special thank you to a very special stalker. Thank you oodles and oodles (of noodles), Val B. You keep me in line. Whenever I think of you, I think of uploading, and vice versa. Please continue to stalk me until at least the next chapter.  
On that note, judging by a few reactions and my own thought process, the outcome of this fic will become apparent within the next two or three chapters (read: if it ends in the next few chapters, the relationship remains familial. If not... I'm sure you know where this is going.)  
**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat. Likewise, the title of this fic and the lyrical chapters are derived from the most amazing song of the same name by The Matches.

* * *

Chrona wasn't sure what she should do in this situation.

When she reentered consciousness she was unaware of her surroundings, but after curling up against the wall, becoming accustomed to the unfamiliar light in the long hallway, it all began to creep back into her mind. A night full of memories pulled at her brain and she stood. Tentatively, Chrona tiptoed to her new shinigami caretaker's door and gently pressed it with her fingers. It swung inward an inch, indicating that he'd left it open. When she peeked inside, Chrona immediately picked up on his absence and stepped away. She was, admittedly, a little disappointed.

The young girl scuttled quickly back to her room, feeling embarrassed about intruding upon the shinigami's personal living quarters. A bright light seeped through the soft green cloth draped over the mirror that didn't reflect. Trotting over to it, Chrona gripped the cloth and pulled it away. Her eyes grew wide and she marveled. The previous night, she could see almost nothing for the first half of their journey to the mansion, and the second half she'd simply shut her eyes and squeezed Kid's leg tighter when he went insane for the grinning circle. But now, a spiked, much brighter orb was in the sky, and below her she could see everything. The world from her window was an expanse of brilliant green, and a small path paved its way from Kid's house, a fine gray. There were tall green things and short green things and... was that a Kid-shaped green thing? Chrona felt her jaw drop.

_This is what I've been missing_, she thought, and wrapped her arms around herself to supress the odd, squirming urge inside of her. The outside was so bright and vivid. Her heart leapt into her throat and she felt her eyes begin to water. It must have been the brightness of the outside world. Or maybe it was this feeling in her chest. _I... I think I like green._

* * *

Liz knocked gently on Chrona's doorframe. The girl turned from her window, dark eyes wide and full of wonder. Liz smiled.

"Morning. Get dressed and come down to the kitchen for breakfast, okay? I'm making waffles."

"Wa... waffles?" Chrona balled a bit of the curtain up in her fist and blinked. "Un... okay. I'm coming."

Once Liz had left her lind of cision, Chrona began to panic. Clothes? What do I wear? Those two ladies took my dress, and this nightgown came from their room... What should I do? Chrona let go of the green cloth and sprinted to the door, tripping once and stumbling onto the hardwood floor. She scrambled back to her feet and lurched forward, catching herself on the doorframe. "M-Miss Liz!"

Down the hallway, near the staircase, Liz turned upon hearing her name. It was a bit unexpected-- Liz couldn't imagine the timid child calling for her. She didn't expect to be called "Miss Liz" either. Then again... aside from maybe "excuse me" what else would Chrona call her? "Hey you"? That was much more likely of Patty or herself.

Liz turned, grinning at the thought.

"Yeah?"

Chrona was visible from her doorway. She looked at Liz, and then shifted her gaze to the floor before it returned to Liz. "Um... what... what should I wear?"

* * *

"Didn't Liz say that she was making waffles for breakfast?" Kid asked his younger blonde partner, who was currently playing with her silverware.

"Yep!"

"So, why do I see no waffles? We just finished an assignment, and she told us that they would be ready when we got here. The table is set, but there are no waffles. I find something very wrong with this."

"Maaaybe the new kid ate her?" Patty replied, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she attempted to link her fork, knife, and spoon together in an upright position. "Onee-san probably tastes yummy, don't you think?"

"I'm not concerned with how my weapons taste, thank you," Kid replied drily, leaning back languidly in his chair. "Rather, I want to know when I'm going to eat breakfast. Aren't you hungry, too?"

"Now that you mention it, I want a bite of Onee-san!"

Kid sighed and rubbed his temples. Whatever was keeping Liz from serving the most important meal of the day had better be worth it.

* * *

"There," Liz said, smoothing the ribbon on Chrona's collar. "All done. Take a look."

The older girl had lead Chrona down the stairs and into her room, where she'd dragged out a large navy blue trunk from one of the room's closets and clicked open the latches. Pushing the lid upwards, the trunk revealed its fullness to Chrona's eyes. It was a small sea of lace and frills-- a pond, if you will. Colors and textures unfamiliar to Chrona's ignorant mind devoured her senses and drew her in. She was, for the second time that morning, caught breathless. Among the thick velvet, smooth silk, and fine foreign materials, Chrona found another state of zen. "So pretty," she exclaimed on air, her fingers clasped at her chest. Liz sat down cross legged beside her and smiled. "When Patty and I first moved in, since we didn't have to steal or fight people anymore, we had a lot of time on our hands. I found a hobby in fashion, and for a while Patty liked dolls, so I made doll clothes. You're really small, and the dolls Patty was fond of were kind of freakishly huge, so I think some of these will fit."

So, like any obediant child would, Chrona allowed herself to be the subject of many different outfit changes, adjustments, and sprucings until Liz had settled on a simple black dress with a white bodice and trimmings. The sleeves were too long, and Chrona's fingers were unable to reach the ends. Liz rolled and pinned them inconspicuously, so as to make them appear as intentional cuffs. She directed Chrona to her body mirror.

The child looked at her reflection in awe. Her dark eyes widened and her lips parted slightly. The dress was much too pretty for her, the skirt befitting that of someone much more useful and beutiful than she. It was too good for her. And yet, she was allowed to wear it. Blood rushed to her face and she knew that she was about to cry. "Thank you," she said into her hands before rubbing at her eyes. Chrona felt Liz's hand on her head.

"You look very pretty," the demon pistol said, her reflection smiling back at Chrona in the mirror. "Come on. Let's go show Kid."

* * *

"You're late," Kid said with a glance toward the door. His brow was furrowed. "Wewere supposed to be finished eating breakfast forty three minutes ago, and you haven't even begun. Nothing in the world aside from symmetry is meaningful enough to take so long to perfect. Nothing."

"Who cares?" Liz said flippantly, nudging Chrona forward whilst grinning madly. "Isn't she adorable? Praise me."

"Very," Kid replied shortly. "Good job. Now, please make the waffles?"

"Aww, come on, Kid, you didn't even look." Liz gently ushered Chrona onto a chair between Patty and herself. The small girl climbed on, her face glowing red. The tabletop barely reached her nose. "She's lovely, right, Patty?"

Patty giggled and patted Chrona on the head. "You look like a weird doll, Chrona-chan!"

"Ah... th... thank you...?"

"Sure thing! Have an apple!" Patty tossed the red fruit onto Chrona's plate. The child looked at it questioningly and reached to retrieve it.

"That won't do," Kid replied, and grabbed it before Chrona. She quickly retracted her hand, afraid she'd done something stupid. The small shinigami inclined his head toward her. "Allow me." And he proceeded to cut the apple with painstaking meticulous slices of the knife. She muttered a small, "Yes" but he didn't seem to hear her.

"He's not trying to be irritating, Chrona," Liz said apologetically at the counter. She poured a light yellow batter into a white machine and closed a heavy-looking lid over the liquid. "Kid just tends to get weird with things like that. Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

Chrona nodded.

The kitchen was surprisingly small compaired to the rest of the house. There was a pristine white table that could seat ten people at most, and there was a stove, a basin-like sink, a dishwasher, and black cupboards mirroring each other on two parallel walls. It was maybe the size of her room at Medusa's house times three. The floor was made of white and black checkered tiles. The entire room was completely spotless. It almost shined. There were two windows, both on the eastern wall, and the brilliant light of day filled the room. Chrona found herself beginning to space out again.

"Hey, hey, Chrona-chan," Patty said, waving her attention over. Liz carried over a plate of large, crater-filled slabs of a bread-like substance to the table. As she sat, Patty stabbed a few with her fork and relocated them to her own plate. "Wanna see me make a giraffe?"

"What's a giraffe?" Chrona asked, leaning over a bit as Patty proceeded to show her with a tremendous bravado.

Liz nudged Kid's shoulder as she sat, mindful that her jostling didn't make him slip up. He might have a fit if he was a stroke off the apple. "You complain and complain, but when I bring the food, you don't eat. Are you going to finish cutting any time soon?"

"Quiet," he said sternly, frowning in concentration at his task. "This takes meticulous skill and care, and I must have silence!"

"THAT is a giraffe!" Patty exclaimed proudly, showing off her waffle creation to Chrona. The child had to stand on her chair to see the food creature.

"Does it really look like that?" she asked curiously. Patty answered with a giggle and stabbed at the giraffe's head, holding it up to Chrona.

"You gotta eat it head first!" she said jovially, and taking her word for it, Chrona cautiously opened her mouth as the syrup-drenched giraffe head was pushed inside.

Her eyes lit up and once more, her cheeks flushed. "It's so sweet..."

"**GAH**!"

Chrona jumped, falling against the back of the chair. Liz reached out reflexively to grab it before it could tip over with Chrona's weight. She sent a scowl in Kid's direction. "Kid! Enough with the random outbursts! You're going to give someone a heart attack!"

"I can't help it!" he said woefully, and buried his fingers within his hair, hanging his head in shame. "I can't even cut an apple properly... my life has no meaning..."

"Oh geez."

"I'M A WRETCHED BEING WITH NO PURPOSE. JUST KILL ME."

"N-no," Chrona broke in timidly, slowly reaching out and picking a slice. "They're... really smooth. Thank you."

Kid watched her anxiously, quite certain that his shoddy workmanship would make the child sick, but after three bits she seemed fine... so he sighed and sat back in his chair, his appetite having disappeared when his self-loathing began. He couldn't risk such ugliness again. He would just have to try harder next time to cut the apple perfectly for his new charge.

* * *

"Chrona-san, would you come with me for a moment?"

She nodded and slid off of the chair and followed Kid past Liz and Patty, who were washing dishes. He lead her up the two flights of stairs to his room and instructed her to stand still as he opened the top drawer of his dresser. He extracted a small black box and knelt before the girl, pulling a skull-shaped broach from its confines. "You look lovely. I think this will suit you quite nicely," he said, pinning the skull at her lace-covered throat. "Please except it as a gift." Chrona blushed.

"O-okay. Thank you."

* * *

Chrona followed her caretaker back down the steps and into her first day of truly living. Tiny fingers touched her new pendant, noting that the shinigami's warmth lingered on the white porcelain.

Unfortunately, though they were no more than a yard apart, Death the Kid would not get to see Chrona's first smile.

* * *

To be continued.


	4. keeps you stumbling on

**A/N**: Just so I know, is anyone seriously opposed to making this romantic later on? I'm curious, even though I'm seriously considering making it a simple fam!fic. I suppose if it did turn out romantic and you hated it, you could just not read it... But I'd really like to make everyone happy... It's impossible, isn't it. T.T Even so, I sincerely appreciated the reviews I've recieved. And even the lazy bums who have faved and watched and have yet to slap down a couple of words for me, I'm glad you like it. Please continue to support me throughout this journey.  
**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat. Likewise, the title of this fic and the lyrical chapters are derived from the most amazing song of the same name by The Matches.

* * *

The first smile on Chrona's face was startled back into hiding at the sound of shattering porcelain. Kid jumped to attention, bounding down the final stairs and dashing toward the sound of settling shards and squawks from his partners. Chrona followed behind as quickly as she could, nervous about being left behind and the possibility of becoming hopelessly lost.

"Liz! Patty!"

He banged open the kitchen door and was about to leap in when a broom smacked him square in the face. Kid yelped and fell backward into the hall in an ungraceful heap. "Don't come in, you idiot! You might step on something and hurt yourself!" Liz scowled down at him and began sweeping the useless remnants of a plate into Patty's dustpan.

Chrona skittered to a stop beside Kid, who pushed himself up into a sitting position and attempted to dust himself off. She clutched the pendant at her chest worriedly and stared. "Your nose..."

"Hmm?"

"Your nose is bleeding..."

"Oh... you're right." He reached into his pocket and produced a hankercheif, dabbing at the warm red flow. "It's fine, no need to worry," Kid said with a smile, obviously relieved that no one had really been hurt in the incident.

"There's... there's blood on your chin," Chrona fidgeted.

"Is there? How unsightly," he replied, rubbing his chin. Kid stood and glared at the older Thompson sister. "Liz! There was no need to resort to such barbaric means to keep me from stepping on broken glass. I'm wearing shoes, for heaven's sake."

"But Chrona's not," Liz retorted matter of factly, pointing at the girl who was, in fact, wearing nothing but black stockings on her feet. "Of course she would have followed you in, and then what could have happened? Her feet have got to be a thousand times more tender than yours, with or without shoes, you idiot."

The girl took notice of the eyes on her and immediately looked down at her feet and began wringing her hands. "S-sorry... I don't have any shoes... I didn't mean to cause trouble..."

"Don't be silly," Liz said before the flushed, stuttering Kid could reply. "You didn't cause trouble; Kid's just not thinking straight. Once he's more used to you being around, he'll get a better feel for what it's like to take care of someone. Deep down, he's just a little rich boy who just happens to know how to wield guns and take souls."

"Why do you think of these things before I do?" he asked, a whine lacing his words. "You've known her just as long as I have."

"How should I know? Maternal instinct, maybe?" She shrugged. "Anyway, be more mindful. We're responsible for more than just ourselves. Isn't that right, Patty?"

"Onee-chan is sooo smart," Patty crooned, cheerfully dumping the shards into the trash. Liz patted her on the head and shoved the broom in the pantry, shutting the door.

"Of course I am. One of us has got to have their screws tight around here. If I were like you or Kid, I don't even want to think about the consequences. Now, come on, let's have a bath. Just touching that broom makes me feel dirty. You too, Chrona."

"Huh?"

"Which do you prefer; strawberry or cherry?"

"... Huh?"

"Strawberry is sweeter!" Patty giggled raucously, dancing past Chrona and to the stairs. Liz followed, her fist in the air. "But strawberry smells cheap! Cherry is refined and delicious! Are you listening to me, Patty?"

Chrona looked over her shoulder at the two, perplexed beyond reason. She turned and looked back up at Kid questioningly, but he was examining the kitchen floor.

"Chrona-san."

She straightened at attention as he switched his gaze to her face. "Y-yes?"

"Please do not walk on the kitchen floor without shoes."

"B-but... they sweeped... and I don't have any..."

"Even so, please stay away from the kitchen. We will get you a pair of shoes. In the mean time, I suggest you follow Liz and Patty for a bath."

"Okay." She turned to go but paused and began to fiddle with her new broach.

"Chrona-san?"

"Y-yes. Um... what is a bath?"

* * *

The steaming water rose as Patty, who had won the arguement by switching to cinnamon apple, poured the scented bubble bath under the faucet of her and Liz's enormous shared bath. "Look, Chrona-chan! A duckie!" The small, yelllow rubber thing squeaked in Chrona's face. Patty tossed it into the water. "Fetch!"

Liz sighed, highly embarrassed at her sister's antics. "She's not a dog, Patty." _But, seriously, she's never had a bath before? How freaky! I really want to ask, but that would just be tactless..._

"You've really never had a bath before, Chrona-chan?"

Liz felt a drop of sweat unrelated to the heat of the room trickle down her cheek._ I guess I can always count on Patty to take care of the tactlessness business_...

"My mother never called it a bath... and I've never seen a cauldron like this," she replied shyly, abashed at being put on the spot while derived of clothing. "But I've been cleaned before, Miss Patty."

Liz supressed a sigh of relief. _Thank goodness! How awful it would have been to never bathe... I can't even imagine it. Gross_.

"It smells nice," Chrona mumbled, peering over the bath's white edge.

"And so will you," Patty cried, jumping in. The waves her naked body caused in the deep water sloshed over the side, drenching Chrona's front with warm water. She gasped, stepping back. The water underfoot made the floor slippery and Chrona's feet flew out from under her, sending her crashing to the floor. Liz jumped quickly to her aid.

"Chrona! Chrona! Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

"No," Chrona replied, more surprised than hurt. Liz sighed, relieved.

"Good. If there are no major injuries or concussions, I'd say it was time for a bath. Here, I'll help you in."

* * *

Kid tapped the dustpan against the edge of the trash bin for the eleventh time that morning. Finally reaching a symmetrical number, he deemed it a reasonable time to stop, and stood back to admire his handiwork. He'd swept the kitchen floor over eleven times, and was most certain that any porcelain particle big enough to pierce the skin of a child was in the garbage. Still, he headed up the stairs to his bedroom to make certain his attire was presentable for an outing. Shoe-shopping, to be precise.

By the time he'd reached the second floor, he was greeted by the loud, resounding bang of a door being slammed open.

"Chrona-chan, wait! Mr. Duckie is still hungry, and he wants your toes!"

"RUN, CHRONA! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

A bullet of white and pink struck him in the leg as it attempted to make its way up the stairs. The shivering mass of flesh and camisol clung to him, tears pouring from her eyes. "My nose," she sobbed, hugging Kid's leg for dear life. "My nose..."

"What happened?" Kid asked, concerned. He pryed the child gently from his limb and lifted her up, his arms resting under her legs. "What's wrong with your nose?"

Chrona hiccupped, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Th... the duck... he ate my nose..." she sniffled. Kid frowned.

"What? But your nose is... Oh." Kid tried his best to keep from sighing. "Patty's duck stole your nose?"

She nodded, mourning the sudden loss of her sniffer. He touched her wrist to gain her attention and smiled gently. "Shall we go retrieve it, then?"

Chrona stared, wide-eyed in awe. "Can... can we do that?"

"Of course we can. It is but a mere duck, while I am a god of death." He set her upon the floor once more and gave her head a pat. "Watch and remember this moment of heroics, Chrona-san."

* * *

"Mr. Duckie will have your head, Kid!" Patty cried, vowing vengeance for her rubber toy's stolen goods. He scoffed, passing a grinning Patty to Chrona, who was watching hopefully from the doorway. With a regal air about him, Kid knelt in front of the pinkette, brandishing his closed fist near her face.

"Allow me."

And he lightly touched his knuckle to her nose. She felt for it and gasped, finding that yes, Kid had saved her nose from Mr. Duckie's unforgiving stomach.

"Thank you very much," she said, bowing her head slightly.

"Anything for you," he replied with a smile and stood. "Now, get dressed, all of you. We're going to town."

* * *

"You're so slow," Kid quipped impatiently, his folded arms hinting that he'd been waiting for a time at the door. Liz chose to ignore him and grabbed her shoes from the door, pulling them on. Patty jumped into hers, Kid had had his on for nearly the entire morning, and Chrona just didn't know what to do. She shifted from foot to foot, her stockings sliding on the polished floor. Kid, for the sake of un-boredom and because he'd noticed something before, placed his arms below Chrona's legs and behind her back, lifting her to his height. Ignorant of Liz's incredulous stare and Chrona's surprised squeal, he neared his face to Chrona's and inhaled.

Liz froze, Chrona blushed, and Patty giggled knowingly.

"She smells nice because I won!"

"That is definitely not strawberry," he replied, taking another long wiff. "I like this one more."

"Ooh! Ooh! Sniff me!" Patty cried, jumping near. Kid obliged, craning his neck and inhaling the scent of Patty's hair deeply. He choked.

"That's strawberry. Chrona-san doesn't smell like that."

"The bubble bath was apple cinnamon, but Patty ended up using strawberry shampoo anyway," Liz said, supposing that it wasn't abnormal if he was doing it to Patty as well. Still, the action had jostled her. Kid wasn't usually so touchy-feely with anyone. Chrona looked fairly shaken as well. "But why are we discussing hair care products? Let's go get some shoes."

* * *

That night, Chrona crept out of her door with her new shiny black shoes in hand, creeping down the hallway and the stairs as quietly as she could. The kitchen was dark, so she stood on tiptoes to reach the light switch and then sat in the doorway. Remembering the way Liz and Kid had showed her earlier that day, she slid her feet into the shoes... left to left, right to right... and buckled the clasps on the sides. Faint clacking sounds emitted from beneath them and onto the tiled floor as she made her way to the pantry, retrieving the broom and dustpan.

Just as she had seen Liz do that morning, the young girl clenched the broom at waist length and watched the bristles glide across the floor. It was near a sparkling level of cleanliness, but Kid had been so adamant to have her wear shoes while walking upon it, so it must still be dangerous. In a mere day, Chrona had received more kindness than she had in all the previous days of her life combined. Even if they said it was not so, she was still obligated to them, and she decided firmly that she would do the best she could not to hinder them. She might even be able to extend her time on Earth if she helped more, and maybe if she worked hard, Kid would smile. And maybe, next time she took a bath, he would protect her nose from the fiendish Mr. Duckie.

However, it seemed that she would still prove to be useless, as not a single speck of dust could be seen in the dustpan when she was finished. Chrona was still a failure. But now, she would have something to live up to. Next time there was a mess in the kitchen, she would definitely help clean it up. And if Kid wanted her to wear her shoes in the kitchen, she would wear them in the kitchen. If he wanted her to wear them in the bath, then by golly, she would even wear them in the bath.

As worthless as she was, she would try to change. And then one day, she could rescue her own nose from terrifying, hateful rubber ducks.

* * *

To be continued.


	5. every backward blackbird

**A/N**: I'm honestly, completely, and seriously torn. Those who want romance are so open, but those that want it to remain familial are so logical. And even though all of you remind me that it's my fic, it belongs to all of you more than it does to me. Isn't that just how fanfiction is? So I've decided. I put a poll on my profile page. It's not biased, and you won't be able to see other peoples' votes, but therein lies the way the tides of this fic turn. If you'd prefer one way or the other, I suggest you vote, because every opinion counts. And once it becomes obvious how this will end, I'll start writing chapter 6. So get to voting!  
**Disclaimer**: Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat. Likewise, the title of this fic and the lyrical chapters are derived from the most amazing song of the same name by The Matches.

In other news, I taught my math teacher how to spell "symmetrical." Oh, happy day!

* * *

Per usual, he awoke at dawn, and was completely ready for the day one hour and twenty minutes later. In fact, upon glancing at his watch stepping out his bedroom door, it was exactly eighty minutes since Kid had awoken. 80. A perfectly symmetrical number. It was going to be a good day. Kid tossed his dignity out the window by giving in to his urge to skip merrily down the staircase. Yesterday, for the first time since excepting his duties as a grim reaper, he'd taken a day off, and today those duties were few and far between, and the sun was shining, and the birds were singing, and the banister was shining, and the… kitchen light was on? Kid hopped off the final step and traipsed through the dim hallway.

Wary of a possible intruder (or a sleepless Liz, just as scary) Kid silently pushed open the kitchen door. A small bundle of black cloth and pink hair met him on the floor near the refrigerator, dust pan in hand. The broom leaned upright against the pantry door by her sprawled legs.

"Chrona-san?"

Chrona stirred. Her body twisted and with the slightest movement of her foot, the broom was pushed from the door. In a sweeping (no pun intended) arc, the long handle fell swiftly onto her rising head. Chrona jerked upward, emitting no cry, though, her eyes were wide in shock as the broom clattered to the floor

For being the daughter of a witch, it was surprising how little brooms liked her.

"I'm sorry!" Kid knelt by her side, lifting the broom and leaning it against the pantry door once more.

"Don't be silly. You have nothing to apologize for." He rubbed her head softly, feeling for injury. "I think you're okay. Can you stand?"

Chrona nodded mutely and stood. She rubber her eyes tiredly and was shortly followed by kid. With a yawn Chrona pushed her dustpan into the pantry. She winced-- her fingers were stiff from holding the metal thing all night. She tried to wiggle them, but it hurt, so she placed them at her side instead.

"What were you doing sleeping in the kitchen?" The previous night, she had slept outside his door against the wall. "Do you not like your bed, Chrona-san?"

"N-no, that's… I was just trying to do what Miss Liz did yesterday, because you were… I mean… you still looked worried." Chrona began to play with her fingers and winced in discomfort. "I'm wearing my shoes…"

And she was. Kid didn't know how to reply. His smile confused Chrona greatly. She opted to apologize-- an action that could never go awry-- once more and looked down. Kid placed his hand on her head, giving it a few pats with a chuckle. "You're a good girl, Chrona-san." He smiled. "A very good girl."

* * *

Tumultous days melted into happy weeks in Shinigami's household. The Grim Reaper himself could see it in the light in his son's eyes, which had once more gained that foreign spark that had appeared once before at Liz and Patty's introduction into his life mere years ago. Many times in the week Lid's reports dwindled in reportliness and leeked into discussion of his witchspawn charge. The fact that Shinigami-sama has never actually seen Chrona didn't exempt him from knowing all of her business. Shinigami-sama was well aware of Chrona's joys and trepidations: She was uneasy about vanilla ice cream, but was enamored by the cherry on top. She liked Liz's cooking, but bitter tastes made her cry. Giraffes were her favorite animal; ducks, her least. Shinigami-sama wasn't certain she knew too many others.

To Kid, Chrona was an innocent, naive little girl with whom he felt a constant desire to bond.

But, for certain, he was one of the few who resided in that state of mind. The majority in Shinigami-sama's life-- were not so sure of her. Spirit, his current Death Scythe, was the leader of this pack. From day one, Spirit had been opposed to Chrona's existance. Excluding personal business, it might even be said that Spirit knew more about Chrona than Kid did. From research, the entire operation was privy to Chrona's age, and even possibly her birth month. They were currently in search of the father, though it was unlikely that a being with such an intimate relationship with Medusa was alive. Which was one of Spirit's top arguements against Chrona: Medusa had kept her around, raised her even. There was obviously a reason for her existance-- one that could be fatal for all of Death City if the spawn was not eliminated soon.

If Kid knew of the secret goings-on of Shinigami-sama's council, not only would he milk them for all that they knew (really, it weas as though he had developed an obsession for something other than symmetry), but he would also object vehemently to any future decisions that were ever made by the group that had to do with Chrona. Kid and Spirit were on opposite sides of the spectrum of passion for the subject, so Shinigami-sama remained neutral. Stein, another member of his council had been infected by a spell of insanity by Medusa, kept his opinions and biases to himself, but he was unfit to guide the Grim Reaper in decision making. Sid, a more undercover-eque addition to his council, was unbiased, and declined when asked for his opinion. He preferred to be of use by solely gathering ingormation. Justin Law never expressed an interest on the Chrona subject. Spirit, though closest to Shinigami-sama, could never provide the balanced wisdom in making decisions that Yumi and Marie always would Azusa Yumi was all about the facts. She refused to form opinions about matters involving Shinigami-sama. Medusa's child had comitted no crimes as of yet, and so she did not directly link Chrona's future with Medusa's past. She had, of course, considered the possibilities, but until Chrona acted on them, the thoughts remained dormant in her counsel. Marie Mjolnir's approach was much more human. The things Medusa had done were terrible, and had affected her directly more than once. But Chrona was a child. Living with Medusa, it was certain that she would have gone through just as much torment as anyone else. Probably more. Marie was hopeful for Chrona, but without having any personal ties to the girl, she had no problem taking her out should the need arise.

Shinigami-sama himself had heard everything from Spirit's borderline-hateful perspective, to bits and pieces of random information gained from field work to Kid's nearly out of character story telling. Seven weeks had passed, and Shinigami-sama supposed it was about time for him to form his own biases about the child of their favorite witch.

* * *

Chrona stood in front of the large Liz-sized body mirror in her bedroom, rifling through the trunk the demon pistol twins had so kindly moved to her room. She was new at dressing herself in these frilly, complicated clothes that Liz liked so much. She was wary of bright colors, but luckily the dresses and ribbons and lace were all dark, or white. She especially liked the white, but since there had been a small misshap with a glass of grape juice (not her fault at all, they had assured her when she began to cry. It was Patty's fault entirely.), Chrona decided to save the pretty white for what her housemates liked to call "special occasions."

After clumsily tying the faded yellow ribbon around her neck like Miss Liz had taught her, she turned her eyes nervously to the mirror and paled.

Death himself stared back at her through the mirror. He raised his hand and terror seized her.

"Hiya! Good morning, Chrona-chan!"

Chrona had seen Kid speak to his father through mirrors before, so she wasn't scared of that. It was that he had never spoken to _her_. She wasn't sure if he --or Kid, for that matter-- even knew she was there whenever she glimpsed the tall man in black through mirrors. They spoke in words she didn't know and held conversations she didn't understand, but it was so fascinating watching Kid's impressive serious face. She liked all of his faces.

"Come, come, have a seat next to me," he said in a sing-song voice. Chrona stared.

"H-huh?"

"Turn this way, silly."

Slowly, she turned her head, and nearly fainted. He wasn't in the mirror. He was right next to her bed. Terrified, Chrona couldn't move. She could barely breathe. _He may be Kid-kun's father, but he is also the one who sent him to kill me. I'm scared. I'm scared. Where are you, Kid-kun? _

"I won't hurt you," Shinigami-sama said, patting the bed with his large white hand. "Nice broach."

Chrona looked down. Of course she had remembered to put the pin on her collar-- it was the first thing she did after fixing a dress onto herself. The broach she was so fond of looked just like Shinigami-sama's mask. And he had white hands. She liked white. And although he had originally asked Kid to take her soul, he had also allowed Kid to let her live. Chrona yearned for the boy's presence, but until he returned from his assignment, she would be alone with his father. Or until Liz (the sister Kid had not taken on his assignment) noticed she was exceptionally late for breakfast.

Slowly, shakily, her feet took a step toward the powerful being before her.

* * *

"Father isn't there?"

Death Scythe shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Nope. He said he was coming home for a bit, so if you go quick, you might meet him there."

"Father's coming _home_?" Kid asked incredulously. "That's... unexpected... and wonderful! Perhaps he has come to finally meet Chrona-san!"

Death Scythe didn't respond, but it didn't matter. Kid was elated. And then, the worry set in. "Oh no... she'll be terrified... I've got to get home. Thank you, Death Scythe," he said, and quickly left the glass of the shattered car window, and gripped Patty tighter as he jumped onto his board, destination westward and home.

"Chrona's gonna faint, Chrona's gonna cry," Patty sang jovially.

"I hope not," Kid replied, his anxiety unmasking itself in his tone. "Father doesn't particularly _enjoy _scaring children."

* * *

Throwing the doors open and dashing up the stairs, Kid met Liz on the way.

"Hey, why didn't you take off your shoes?"

"Never mind that; where's Father?"

"Father? Where's _Chrona_?"

"With Father, I presume, and probably in her bedroom. Or mine."

"Oh, geez, she's gonna faint."

"She's gonna cry!" Patty cackled up the stairs, leaping to catch up with her sister and meister.

"That too."

"_Neither_, hopefully!"

"Hopefully, but unlikely."

"Hehehe!"

"You have absolutely no faith in Chrona-san!"

They reached the third floor. Liz and Kid scrambled over each other, bursting through Chrona's door to assess the damage. Patty grabbed their shoulders and leapt over, as though they had begun playing a game of extreme leap frog. She tumbled onto the floor in front of Chrona's bed, where Death stood and Chrona herself sat, staring.

"Heeey, Chrona-chan!" Patty saluted. "You too, Shinigami-sama!"

"Chrona-san!" Kid cried, stepping over Patty and taking the little girl by the shoulders. "Are you all right? Did you cry? Did you faint?"

"My, Kid-kun, you have no faith in Chrona-chan," Shinigami-sama said cheerfully. "She didn't faint or cry. She's been very brave."

Chrona blushed, looking at her hands.

"My intentions were those of concern, Chrona-san," Kid said apologetically. "I didn't mean for it to come out sounding like doubt."

She nodded, knotting her fingers together. "It's okay," she muttered. "I was too scared to cry. I _thought _I was going to faint."

"But you didn't. I'm very proud of you." The young shinigami gently ruffled Chrona's hair. The motion sparked Shinigami-sama's attention. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Kid on Chrona's second week in his household. The child's choppy, uneven bangs killed Kid inside every time he looked at them, but he resisted from attacking her with scissors until she showed any sign of comfort with him-- an opening. After sixteen days of waiting, the night came that she crept into his room, pillow in her arms, looking for all the world like a bride on her wedding night. Blushing, Chrona had explained in stutters that she had experienced a nightmare of snakes and ducks. Luckily, in the end, Liz had galloped to her rescue on a giraffe that laughed like Patty, but Chrona was too anxious to fall back asleep. Somehow (probably with sweet words and pleading eyes) Kid had convinced her that cutting her bangs would take off the heaviness in her dreams.

Shinigami chuckled to himself at the memory.

Gauging Chrona's relieved reaction from Kid's appearance, and her shaky words of confirmation during their private chat, Chrona had made her first impression upon Shinigami-sama. The Grim Reaper knew that Death Scythe would not like it at all.

* * *

"So, what do you think of her, Father?"

Shinigami-sama watched his son skip jovially down the stairs; an interesting but dangerous feat. "She's jumpy and pale," he said, internally grinning at the scandalized look Kid sent him. "And very cute." With that, he could see a long, winded agreement bursting forth from within his beloved offspring. Death quickly cut him off. "When are you gonna send her to school, Kid-kun?"

Kid lead his father into the white drawing room and sat down opposite him across the glass coffee table. "I've been thinking about that, too," he said, his gold eyes deep in thought. "To enter Shibusen when she's thirteen, Chrona will have to have basic knowledge mastered; reading, writing, symmetry." He didn't notice his father's sweatdrop. "I've been wondering if I should send her to a school for elementary acedemics, but I don't know if she could handle it. She says she doesn't know how to deal with other children, which isn't surprising, considering the only person she'd ever laid eyes on was Medusa." Kid leaned back and sighed. "I think it would be good for her to spend time with other children, but..."

"But it could be dangerous as well," Shinigami-sama said, nodding.

"Right. Being the daughter of a witch-- Medusa, no less-- can only bring about bad things for her."

"Parents talk, and children can be cruel."

"And I don't know how old she is, so to enroll her with children too old or too young... What should I do, Father?"

"Well, my dear son, if you are willing to dedicate your time to Chrona-chan, you could teach her at home. She wouldn't mind, I think." Shinigami-sama leaned forward. "She seems very happy when you're around."

"You really think so?" Kid replied, grinning happily.

Shinigami-sama nodded again, patting his son on the head. "I've gotta get back; Yumi-chan has managed to convince Justin-kun to return for our next pow-wow." He stood regally and bounced toward the door. "By the way, Kid-kun, you have seven years to decide what to do with Chrona-chan before she enters Shibusen. Bye-bye~!"

The door behind him closed with finality, and Kid blinked.

"... Chrona-san is six? Father! How did you know that?!"

* * *

To be continued.


	6. standing out through the rafters

**A/N**: Alrighty then. Upon checking the poll, I found (to my surprise) that 80% (17) of the voters wanted romance. 14% (3) wanted it to remain familial, and 4% (1) didn't care either way. I just have to say: thank goodness! I had a bunch of plans for the story, and realized very quickly that the majority of them could never be brought out without that kind of relationship. I love you, 80%!  
I'm very excited about this chapter. Things are beginning to turn, and I'm able to use my very favorite characters _together_. (Hee!) So, even if you are that 4%, I hope you will remain by my side on this journey of crack. It's not the end of platonic!Kid/Chrona just yet, so stick with me at least until that's through. Let's work hard together, okay? 8D**  
Disclaimer**: Characters belong to Ohkubo, who is definitely not me. Drat. Likewise, the title of this fic and the lyrical chapters are derived from the most amazing song of the same name by The Matches.  
I did my best to get this chapter out by Christmas. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

"You understand your mission, Marie-chan?"

Marie Mjolnir nodded, her face solemn. "Yes sir. But... am I really being placed in this position as a spy?"

"Spirit-kun would like to think so," Shinigami-sama said with a flippant wave of his large hand. "But also, Kid-kun has raised the concern to me, and he has his own duties to take care of. I don't want any stress giving my precious son ulcers." His head tilted a little to the left. "ALSO, Marie-chan, you already live nearby with Stein-kun, so you're the prime candidate." He gave a 'boing' of movement. "Marie-chan is so talented and lovely! She can pull this off, no sweat! Right? Right?"

Marie smiled. "Of course, Shinigami-sama! I'll do my best!"

"You will, I know you will," he replied jovially, waving her off. "I'll contact Kid-kun right away. Bye bye!"

"Goodbye, Shinigami-sama."

Spirit, returning from the facilities, passed the blond on her way out the door. He gave her a wave and seated himself on one of the thicker crosses in Shinigami-sama's garden of death. "She seemed happy. What did you say to her?"

Shinigami-sama bounced over to the mirror to give his son a call.

"Marie-chan has a new teaching position. She's very excited!"

Spirit dug his hands into his pockets. "You don't seem very somber yourself." He sighed. "Then again... you're always like that."

* * *

"Chrona-chan, no!"

"CHRONA-SAN!"

A heavy crash filled the room, echoing off the spacious walls, and ricocheting around in the ears of the parlor's occupants. When the metaphorical dust settled, Liz and Patty uncovered their eyes to assess the damage.

Upon Patty's noting of the thick layer of dust in the parlor, Liz had mentioned a day devoted to cleaning (with her as the supervisor, of course; she had just gotten a manicure). Chrona, helpful as ever (and probably a little bored) volunteered herself immediately, if shyly, and at once, Liz dressed her for the occasion, and they set about cleaning. Patty was given the vacuum, Kid had a broom, and Chrona was put to work with a duster. All had been peaceful (as peaceful as a cavernous room could get with a loud vacuum and a louder Patty at the wheel) for approximately seven minutes. And then came the disturbance.

A vase, set on a pedestal that stood about one and a half Chronas high loomed above the child, taunting her. Certainly, she didn't know how to deal with something so high up, but since the vacuum was on, and everyone else was busy, she didn't want to disrupt her caretakers, so she stood on her tiptoes, using the pedestal for support, and attempted to swish the feather duster around the rim of the vase. It was at that moment that Patty decided to set her sights on the struggling girl. Turning the vacuum on a dime, the younger Thompson cackled. "CHRONA-CHYAAN, DO YOU NEED HELP?"

Patty ran by the younger girl and let her machine continue on its path without her as she stood by Chrona's side. Rolling across the floor, the cord to the vacuum pulled tight around Patty's heel. She jumped back. Taut around the base of the pedestal because Patty had rounded the room twice, the cord pulled the base toward Chrona, who was leaning in the opposite direction. When holding herself on the pedestal had a sudden tilt, Chrona looked up to see time slow down. The vase, which was large, fat, and expensive looking tipped. The small red dot in the center seemed to be an eye, getting closer and closer as the milliseconds ticked by. She could only stare.

And then, Kid's voice floated into her conscience and she ducked, covering her head with her arms, as futile as the motion may have turned out to be.

Cracking her eyelids open, Chrona immediately surmised that, no, she had not been assaulted by the large vase. If she had, she would probably be dead, and Chrona didn't think that her tailbone would ache so badly if she were dead.

The further opening of her eyes concluded that she had been rescued in the nick of time by Death. One arm was wrapped protectively around the back of her head, and the other was situated under her legs, which had resulted in the impact of the crash being transferred to her lower back. He must not have had enough time to cushion her fall completely. It hurt. Tears leaked out of her eyes from the pain, from the leftover fear, and for worry; there were shards of broken vase everywhere. Kid could be hurt. Kid could be angry. He could decide that she wasn't worth the trouble. What if that vase was really important to him? She definitely didn't know how to deal with this.

"Chrona-san..."

She stiffened, grasping his leisurely white dress shirt between her fingers. Liz got closer, stepping carefully between bits of jagged pottery.

"Geez, what a mess. Are you two okay?"

Chrona couldn't speak. Anxiety filled her lungs, making it difficult to breathe, much less form words to string into a proper sentence. She hiccuped.

"I think she's hurt, Kid, back up."

Death the Kid straightened to a sitting position, pulling a sniffling Chrona along with him. She covered her face with her hands, khaki sleeves soaking up her tears. "Chrona-san? What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"Kid-kun, your elbow's bleeding!" Patty mused.

"I'm s-sorry," Chrona said, rubbing her eyes. She removed herself from Kid's arms and took his elbow between her hands to examine it. There were a few small shards sticking up through shallow wounds in his skin, and she pulled them out, sniffing deeply to keep her nose from running. As she'd always done with a cut in Medusa's household, the young girl brought the wound to her lips and licked the blood away. Chrona was a little surprised; she had expected the blood of a god to differ from that of her own. But it did not. Not in taste, anyway. It was thick and coppery, just like her own. "I'm sorry," she repeated. How dreadful. She hoped Kid wasn't in too much pain. Liz had medicine for things like this, so he would probably be fine soon, but Chrona was still mortified at her actions. How reckless of her to lean against such a tedious pedestal. Stupid. It had been a stupid action. Chrona hiccuped once more, her forehead falling against Kid's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Kid, surprised at how close the child was allowing herself to become, silently placed his hand on the top of her head.

"Hey, hey, Chrona-chan, it was my fault this time," Patty said, pointing to herself. Liz sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Somehow, it always seems to be your fault, Patty."

Patty giggled, Chrona retreated to her room, Liz properly cleaned Kid's wound, and the silent decision to avoid cleaning when at all possible was mutual throughout the household.

* * *

Chrona liked mornings the best, because sometimes her dreams were not nightmares and she slept long past dawn. On those mornings, a knock on the door would poke at her subconscious so that she stirred awake. Kid would peer in at her from the doorway on those mornings and, with a smile, greet her for the day.

Nights were, of course, her second favorite time of day, because as each week went by, the nightmares faded little by little, and the mornings that she woke up in the wee hours of the dark morning in a cold sweat were fading away into the past. When she did have the nightmares, though, a hero in black was always lurking in her hope until he appeared in a flash to save her from the monsters in her mind. At night, Chrona would often trail off to bed much earlier in the others, still not entirely used to the ruckus they committed themselves to on a daily basis, and therefore quite pooped. Liz would often trail after Chrona, reminding her to wash her face, brush her teeth, and call for the older girl when she was done so that Liz could dress her in proper nightwear.

Chrona was still surprised at just how many articles of clothing one person could go through in a day. Liz had taught her that anything was possible, as long as you had a wardrobe large enough to fit all the possibilities.

Nights were Chrona's second favorite because going to bed meant waking up to the sun and a smile.

With that in mind, Chrona scrambled out of the bathtub and toweled herself off, slipping on the bruise-colored purple nightgown that Liz had given her earlier before setting off on an assignment with Kid. Chrona brushed her teeth, plodded down the stairs to the kitchen where she said her good nights to a smiley Patty, and made her way off to bed.

But...

But the farther she got up the stairs, the slower her footsteps fell.

With Liz downstairs all of the times before (Kid always took Patty on night assignments, why this time was different she didn't feel it appropriate to ask), Chrona never thought about being on the third floor alone. Kid rarely went off at night, so there was always the slightest bit of noise in the background as she fell asleep.

But it was only Patty tonight. Patty in the kitchen, three flights down. And no one else.

Chrona quickly retreated down the stairs, finding immediate comfort at the sight of the young blond woman in a chair at the kitchen table, colored pencils and paper at hand. Patty looked up, her eyes wide, childish, and strangely knowing.

"Scared, Chrona-chan?"

The girl looked down at her feet. "... Maybe a little..."

Patty smiled and patted the seat next to her. "C'mon, si'down. If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you _exactly how_ the giraffes and I are going to rule the world!"

* * *

'You didn't let her go to bed?! Patty!"

"_Shh_!" the younger sister said with a venom-less glare, pointing at the child with the pink head of hair, curled in her lap, as if they couldn't see her. "_She's sleeping._"

* * *

Chrona had a nightmare.

She woke up panting, and the moon grinning at her through her curtains told her that she would be awake in the dark for a few more hours.

Upon realizing that she was in her room, it took the dazed child a moment to realize that she didn't know how she had been transferred from the kitchen table to her bedroom. Chrona didn't think that it was Patty; she didn't seem to be the type that would carry a child to bed without dropping them once or twice. It had to have been Liz or Kid. Chrona rubbed her eyes, her fear fading at their thoughtful efforts. Chrona rolled onto her stomach and closed her eyes once more. The door was ajar, Kid was next door, the sisters were downstairs, and they were all looking out for her.

There were three real-life heroes in her home. She didn't have to rely only on the one in her dreams.

* * *

There was a knock on her door. Chrona turned from her seat on the windowsill and slid off, skittering nervously to the door. She opened it a crack and, upon seeing Kid, threw it open all the way.

"Good morning, Chrona-san," he said with a smile. It was in that moment that the young girl noticed that Death the Kid was not the only soul at her doorstep. A woman, barely taller than Kid, with hair on the lighter side of gold, peeked around him with a mild grin. One eye curved along with her smile. "Let me introduce you to your Marie Mjolnir. She will be assisting you in your studies from now on."

"Pleased to meet you, Chrona," the woman said, inclining her head. "Let's work hard together."

* * *

To be continued.


	7. so sure he can meet her

She didn't look at Chrona the way she used to; she was smiling. Chrona didn't like it. Medusa's smile sent tremors down her spine.

"You've been a bad child, Chrona. Bad children should be punished."

Chrona shook her head vehemently and wrapped her arms around herself. "N-no... I'm not a bad girl... K-Kid-kun said..."

"Kid-kun is going to take your life," Medusa said with that smile-esque sneer. "If you don't mind your mother, he'll kill you before my enemies do."

"No..."

* * *

Chrona slowly sat, clenching fistfuls of cool sheet to her chest. Her breathing was shallow and tears trecked down the pale expanse of her cheeks and down her neck. She hugged her knees to her chest.

Her heart told her that Kid would not only not kill her, but he would also protect her from Medusa's vengeful foes.

Her mind gave a sorrowful laugh. I cry because I'm afraid. I cry because what she says is true.

* * *

Four years passed in a rush of color, labor, and love. Shinigami-sama would release very little information involving Chrona, so they had dubbed her birthday to reside in April. Chrona liked it when the torrents of rain washed away winter's snow and ice to reveal green underneath. Marie's flamboyant, precise speech on the laws of gravity slowed, and then ceased altogether when she took note of Chrona's blank expression. The young girl was seated on the large, cushioned windowsill and gazed unseeingly outward. Moist spring air crept through the open window and tousled her long rosette hair.

"Chrona?" Marie's student heard her name and her eyes clicked back to life. She turned her head back to Marie.

"Sorry, sensei. I'm kind of sleepy." Her dark eyes slowly drifted back out the window. "After you went home last night, Patty chased me around outside if I ever got close to the kitchen. I think Miss Liz and Kid-kun were making a birthday cake."

Marie smiled. "Chrona, that's what she was trying to hide from you. They want your birthday celebration to be a surprise."

Chrona pulled the slipping textbook back into her lap. "I... I thought that might be why, so I didn't say anything."

Marie snapped her own book shut. "Your birthday is tomorrow!" she exclaimed brightly. "What do you think you'll be getting?"

In the three years prior since she'd been employed by Death the Kid, Marie had asked the same question and Chrona had given the same response. She blushed, glanced down at her knotting fingers and mumbled, "I don't know... I don't need anything... living here is more than enough for me..." But every year she would be bombarded with presents by her housemates, who seemed to want nothing more than to spend their considerable fortune on the little girl. Overwhelmed with happiness and embarrassment, Chrona would burst into tears. Marie remembered Chrona's first birthday in Shinigami-sama's mansion.. When the newly-dubbed 7-year-old had seen the mountain of gifts, she stood in awe. When she had been informed that they were for her, all the color drained from her face. When Patty had pulled the tiny girl into her lap ("Open mine first, mine first!"), and Liz had scooted close, and Kid smiled above her, present in hand ("Please accept this gift, Chrona-san.") Chrona had promptly begun to sob. Death the Kid's words were like the handle on the faucet of her eyes, and it had been well over ten minutes before she could compose herself enough to open the first gift.

In the following two years, Marie had made sure to forbid Shinigami-sama from allowing his son to throw Chrona a real party. One with people. She had the inkling that if Kid were to present Chrona with the grand parties he so loved to throw, the child would undergo cardiac arrest.

"All right, break time's over." Marie opened her text. "Now, the thing with Newton and the apple wasn't just a coincidence..."

* * *

Another birthday came and went and space in Chrona's room had become even more scarce. She flopped backward on her bed and covered her flushed face with her hands. Chrona was terrible at putting a stopper on her emotions, and this year she'd cried and passed out. It wasn't the first time, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.

A soft knock sounded at the door and Chrona sat up, hoping that her blush had faded. "C-come in."

"I'm going home now, Chrona," Marie poked her head in. Her blond hair was freckled with sparkling confetti. Chrona smiled at the sight.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Sensei."

* * *

"You've got confetti in your hair."

Marie grinned and hung her coat in the closet. "Oh, Stein, it was so much fun. The cake was eight tiers high. Liz wanted ten because, you know, Chrona's age, but Kid simply wouldn't have it. Eight is perfectly symmetrical and would bring her good fortune for the coming year. There were balloons filled with confetti, and Patty got hold of a knife."

"Which explains your hair."

Marie nodded. "Chrona was already light-headed from all the crying, so when Kid started some music and danced with her, he swung her around, and Chrona fainted."

"Again?"

Marie collapsed on the couch in a fit of laughter. "Stein, Stein, you should have come!"

"Maybe next year," he said with a smile, taking a large gulp of coffee. Of course, he'd said that before.

"I'll hold you to it," she replied, repeating the annual phrase as well. Stein turned to retreat back to his lab and paused. He turned.

"I give you a week to get all of that glitter out of your hair."

Marie jolted up. "No way! I brush way more often than that! Two days!"

"Four at best."

Marie threw a cushion at him; Stein just laughed.

* * *

In the three years to come, Marie began to coach Chrona in the ways of the technician. The child was lucky to have Marie as a practice weapon, for the woman was a seasoned warrior in battle, and could be wielded by just about any meister. Kid, too, played an essential role in her training. He taught the methods of soul resonance as she practiced with Marie, and spoiled her with pointers and tips on different ways to tap into the soul of one's weapon.

The relationship between meister and weapon was precious. It played the biggest role in battle, and it took two very unique souls to truly bond in such a way. After learning about the implications involved, Chrona was almost envious of the relationship shared exclusively by Kid, Liz, and Patty.

Marie was more than happy to converse at length about how to find a compatible soul. What's more, Chrona was full of questions, and so they talked.

"How will I know that a weapon is good for me?"

"Not _for _you," Marie corrected. "_With _you. Souls usually put themselves on display through personality because not all people can see them. Stein can, and I'm sure there are plenty of other meisters in the world who are capable of, quite literally, seeing souls. However, because not everyone can, personalities are always the easiest way to tell." Marie slipped out of Chrona's hands and returned to her human form. "For you, Chrona, I think the most compatible soul would be a decisive one. So, personality-wise, I think you should look for someone who..." She tapped her chin. "Someone who can speak their mind. Someone who is more of a leader. You should find someone permanent." Marie pointed to herself. "Unlike me. I can be exchanged for any weapon. You should find one who's just for you."

Chrona nodded.

"When will I find a weapon?"

"When you enter Shibusen, there is a ceremony... sort of a meet and greet. There, you mingle with others around your age, and you get a taste of others' souls. Then, when you've found someone who appears to be your match, you find an official and they will see if you can be compatible in battle."

"And then?"

Marie smiled. "Well, whatever happens happens, I suppose. Nothing in life is set in stone. Your life at and after Shibusen is up to you and your weapon. Good luck and go."

Chrona nodded once more.

"... Can I try soul resonance again?"

* * *

Liz moaned and stretched out across the kitchen table. Patty sagged against her shoulder and looked up at the clock. It read 3:57 AM.

"Great. Shinigami-sama just _had _to issue an assignment before dawn."

"If you're tired, go to bed," Kid said straightly, standing on his tiptoes to rifle through the cabinet for a 3:57 AM snack.

"Can't," Liz grumbled. "The adrenaline won't die down. And I can't make it to the second floor."

"Then make breakfast."

"I'm tiiired," Patty sang groggily. Liz shut her eyes. Death the Kid rolled his.

"I wasn't aware that I'd acquired a couple of sloths."

"Where?" Patty asked with muted enthusiasm. Kid found a box of Goldfish and sat down on the opposite side of the table from his droopy pistols.

"I've been thinking," he said, crunching on an unsuspecting Fish. "Chrona-san will be going to school soon."

"Well, we _could _keep her locked in here with us forever," Liz joked dryly.

"No, no. I've considered that, and decided that it just wasn't the right thing to do."

"I was kidding."

"But I'm worried about her. She's so shy. What if she's bullied? What if she can't find a weapon to adequately protect her from the bullies? What if her weapon doesn't understand her? What if she throws my Chrona-san away for a more outspoken technician, and Chrona-san is left in some desert somewhere?"

"What if the weapon is a guy?"

"Impossible. Chrona-san would never bring another man into her life. But you're missing the point!"

"I don't think there is a point."

"The point is that Chrona-san needs us. I think we should enroll in Shibusen."

"School life? No thanks." Liz cracked open a sluggish eye and pinned the young shinigami with a glare. "If you want to go through years of homework and test torture, do it yourself."

"Nee-chan is too smart for school," Patty chimed in, cuddling with her sister. Kid couldn't believe his ears.

"You... you won't enroll with me?"

"Nope."

"Not even... for Chrona-san's sake?"

"I think you're the only one who doesn't want to let her have a normal life."

"Fine. I'll do it myself. I can't just let her fend for herself alone in the lion's den!"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I'll speak with Father about it tomorrow."

"That's a 'no' then."

Kid stood, packing the box of Goldfish back into the cupboard where it came from.

"Though you two were no help, I appreciate you resolving this with me. Goodnight."

Liz watched him go. "Why doesn't he listen to me, Patty?"

But Patty could not answer. She had already fallen asleep.

* * *

"Kid-kun will take your life, Chrona."

She looked up into the eyes of her mother-- those piercing eyes who tore apart her soul and killed her inside bit by little bit.

"Th-that... that may be so..." Chrona replied. She was so terrified. When had she ever spoken against her mother? "B-but... but I will get stronger so I can fight. I will fight to live, Medusa-sama."

Medusa gave a snarl. She was displeased, but Chrona didn't notice for long.

The thunderous beating of her own heart had woken her up. She'd spoken up to Medusa. Chrona had made one thing terribly clear: she would live. Her will was strong enough now to permit it. A warm feeling stirred in Chrona's chest.

One step at a time, she was already fighting her own battles. And she wasn't even a Shibusen student.

* * *

"Father. Chrona will be entering Shibusen in one month."

Shinigami-sama gave a bounce. "Do I smell a change of plans?"

"I want to go, too."

"You're not a student," Shinigami-sama replied, leaning forward. "What are your motives, Kid-kun?"

"I want to _become _a student. For Chrona." _And for my peace of mind_. Kid knew that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work if he knew that Chrona was coping by herself at that big, beautiful, symmetrical school. She wasn't used to contact with others, and he didn't want her to go through her first years in the real world alone. "Therefore, the only logical thing to do would be to join Shibusen as well.

"Are you sure, Kid-kun?"

"Of course I am."

Shinigami-sama nodded.

"All righty then! Kid-kun is now my student."

With dignity and grace, Kid skipped out of the cloudy room to tell his Chrona-san the news.

* * *

To be continued.


End file.
